The “Perfect” Male Physique

The search for perfect body measurements has been going on since time immemorial. Michelangelo’s statue of David was long time ago regarded as the pinnacle of the male form. Although we are living in an age where people want to obtain big muscles, still many of us want something proportional:

A powerful, lean, chiseled and athletic physique.

So how do you achieve that? And how can you tell if you have achieved that physique? Well according to the so called experts, the perfect male body measurements are...

-Waist- 45-47% of the height

-Arms- same size as neck circumference

-Shoulders- 1.618 x waist

But let’s take a closer look at perfect male body measurements (based on height)

A Quick Note on Being Body Positive

There is no such a thing as a “perfect” male body that exists. I hope you already know that!

Let’s face it, many men eat healthily and visit the gym occasionally to achieve a body that looks good. While it may sound vain, most men go to the gym so that they can gain a better looking muscular body. That’s not a surprise because there really are lots of forces out there in the culture today stressing body image and women aren’t the only ones getting them.

No need to lie to yourself that you visit the gym every day only to reduce your blood pressure or for any other reason. But millions of men around the world visit the gym daily in their quest for a perfect body. Love your body the way it was created and work hard to improve it. Enjoy the workout journey.

Lean and Tight Waist (45-47% of the total height)

The size of your waist determines whether you will have a great physique or not. Too much padding around the waist will make your entire aesthetic suffer. If you have a waist circumference that is equal to 47% of your total height it indicates a low body fat percentage and overall balanced body proportions.

How to Obtain a Lean Waist: Nutrition! Many men tend to store most of their body fat in the upper parts of the body just around their waist, and therefore you need to shed much of these fats to obtain a lean waist and show your abs.

The Science behind Perfect Male Body Measurement

There is a science behind perfect male body proportions that we are discussing here. It all depends on a golden ratio of 1.618. You might have heard about this ratio in geometry, architecture, your body, and several other areas

Many people used the ratio in the past. Michelangelo used this ratio to produce some of his artwork and sculptures that resemble the human body such as David.

Like I mentioned earlier, this golden ratio can be seen all over your body in places such as your feet, face, and hands. For instance the ratio of your hand to the forearm should be around 1: 1.618

But while you may not be that concerned about the ration of your hand to your forearm, you probably are concerned about your shoulder to waist ratio. Ladies are attracted to men who have a shoulder to waist ratio of 1.618. Of course, your height will play a crucial role too.

Broad Shoulders (1.618 X size of your waist)

Powerful, broad shoulders represent a hallmark of male physiques. They portray confidence and strength, along with strong masculinity. If your shoulder width is one and half times your waist, then you are going to achieve your dream V-body shape. But how do you go about attaining broad shoulders?

How to get Broad Shoulders

Unlike shedding weight and slimming, you will be required to build a lot of muscle and strength in your upper parts of the body to separate yourself from the pack.

The Basics:

-Overhead presses, with dumbells or the barbell are the bread and butter of bigger shoulders.

-Have a strong volume on shoulder day. Assert yourself into that day at the gym.

Wide Back Big Chest

If you want to achieve a perfect V-shaped body shape, then pay attention to your back. Wide lats can make your torso appear more narrow. No specific ratio can be applied to your back muscles, but ideally, they should contribute to the widening of the upper torso.

How to obtain a Wider Back- The basics

-Improve strength on your vertical pulls to make sure that your lats are hit hard.

- Add some thickness to your back using horizontal pulls and rows. Thick Upper Chest (10-12’’ Wider than Waist)

In addition to you want your chest to be well rounded to complement your back. You don’t want your back to look like its overwhelming your chest. You want your chest to actually stick out.

How to achieve a well-developed upper chest -The basics

-You should usually train chest by itself, so you can focus your energy on tearing it up!

-Be sure to give yourself a good volume on chest day. Don't be afraid to push yourself

Well- Developed Arms

Every man wants to achieve huge muscular arms, but what you want can depend on your height and the rest of your body proportions. The "perfect" ratio is that your arms are the same circumference as your neck. But obviously this doesn't apply to everyone. You'll have to figure out what it is you're shooting for and put together a game plan to increase your arm size accordingly.

How to Achieve Great Arms- The basics

-Concentrate more on building strength through progressive overload. I agree with Arnold, challenging your arms is generally the best way to add mass.

-Continue to add weight in small increments as the weeks go on. You have to get those muscles shocked in order for them to grow

Proportional legs

The body of an ideal man does not have chicken or tree-trunk legs, nor are they skinny at all. There are no standard measurements here, but the objective should be athletic legs that have an explosive strength and solid muscles. I do advocate taking leg day seriously, but I also realize that some guys are born with legs that are naturally very muscular. If you have sprinter thighs, you might be inclined to skip leg day. I can hear you on that one, but I still would push you in the direction of getting at least some light leg work done for good measure.

How do you Obtain Well-Developed Proportional Legs – the Basics

-Squat Squat Squat. In all honest, many guys can get by just doing squats. No joke.

-But for good measure make sure you do mix it up with other iso exercises such as the leg extension.

-Try giant sets for legs if you really are up to the challenge.

As we had already stated before, there is no such a thing as “perfect” body. Everybody has his own fitness goals, and therefore you should not allow these measurements to deter you from pursuing your goals. Always keep your goal in mind and take it one day at a time. And of course, always keep in mind that stretching is key to all of this. Can't stress that enough. If you want to go at this hardcore, make sure you take the proper rest and do the proper warmups and stretching.